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Course Information: History of the American Environment
(HY 212) - Colorado College
Professor Anne Hyde
This course is an attempt to put the non-human world back
into historical inquiry. We will survey American history from
the perspective of the environment, beginning with the European
invasion of the New World and ending with current environmental
problems. Because this course is a history course, we will
work on the skills of analyzing evidence, preparing and evaluating
arguments, writing effectively, and speaking and listening
about difficult issues. We will also work on cooperative thinking
and problem-solving skills.
Because environmental issues are extremely complex, politically
sensitive, and emotionally charged, they can only be discussed
and worked on in cooperation with a wide variety of people
and ideas, we will work intensively in permanently assigned
groups. We will use groups to generate questions, to solve
problems in class, to lead class discussion, and to complete
a group final project.
Grading Context for this assignment:
Group Work and Participation: 25%
4-5pp analytical essay: 20%
6 1-2 pp. response essays: 30%
Group Final Project and Class Presentation: 25%
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Type: Group Research Paper
Oral Presentation
Level: 200
Block Plan Context:
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Description of Assignment:
This assignment is a group project. It asks you and your
group to choose a environmental problem, describe its deep
history, develop a range of solutions that demonstrates the
complexity of the interests involved, and devise an educational
campaign or a funding request to educate people about the
problem. The idea is to understand the viewpoints of those
involved in the debate and the variety of concerns around
it. We will work on using a consensus model of problem-solving.
The point is to get a sense of how various groups and interests
see the problem and why solutions are hard to find. In other
years students have examined logging issues in the Northwest,
the creation of wilderness areas, toxic waste dumps, pesticide
spraying, water use, cancer clusters, the politics of endangered
species, the reintroduction of animal species, specific kinds
of farming practices, recycling, GMO food, nuclear power plants,
fossil fuels and big SUVs, environmental practices on the
CC campus, fire management in Yellowstone, the management
of Rocky Flats near Denver - anything that offers a variety
of opinions that you can research effectively. Your group
will present your research in a 20-minute oral presentation
and in a 10-15 page report, with a full bibliography of your
research.
You will need to be wide-ranging and imaginative in the kinds
of material that you use to develop the range of points of
view and arguments around the problem. You'll need both basic
history texts to get the general idea of what happened when
as well as policy statements, editorials, and government reports
to build a strong set of positions. A lot of this material
will be in the Government Documents Department of the library
and in periodicals and magazines, as well as on the Internet
but you have to assess the quality of the material you get
from any source. The variety and quality of the sources your
find is crucial in convincing people that your positions are
valid. You will probably want to consult local newspapers
as well as scholarly material to see how local people feel
about these issues. (It would be a huge time-saver and a big
addition to the quality of your project to consult one of
the reference librarians at this point. Their expertise will
make your work much easier.)
Next, put together a 10-15 page report that describes the
problem, using the evidence you have uncovered. You'll need
to describe the history of the problem, the range of interests
involved, and the concerns of each interested group. Finally,
the report should also include a proposal for some public
education on the problem or a funding proposal. You don't
have to solve the problem or agree on a solution - the point
is to explore the complexity of the problem and to develop
a sense of the interests involved and their arguments. A map
and some visual evidence would add a lot. Be sure to include
a bibliography detailing your sources that uses proper bibliographic
formats.
The last step is a class presentation of your problem. Briefly
sum up your findings about the variety of positions around
the issue and describe the biggest challenges to solving this
problem in 20 minutes. Imagine that you are presenting this
to a funding organization or to a group of local citizens.
You will need some visual aids - maps, charts, pictures -
to make the issues clear to the class. Overheads, slides,
powerpoint, etc. are all fine.
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